Fans of [Kona]
will rejoice at this offering. Originally
created to be part of the sequel to Rapture,
Nightmare Orchards is a fantastic map with
plenty of fast action. Architecture, which
is one of [Kona]'s strong points, is very
well done with buildings that flash back
fond memories of Satyr and Ancient Rigby.
This makes sense because the map is set
to follow those two maps.
Nightmare Orchard begins with the player
wading through water into this medieval
style structure/complex. Immediately you
encounter the Quake2 baddies with Enforcers,
Guards, and Light Guards being the most
prominent at the beginning. You will notice
immediately that this level is not your
standard Quake2 level. This was accomplished
with textures used from Diakatana, Hexen2,
and Rune. I simply love the way this map
looks but I must admit that the Quake2 characters
don't exactly mesh well with the level.
The map has such a gloomy atmosphere to
it and the metallic look of the Quake2 monsters
seemed to contrast with each other. This
mainly goes for the bigger monsters you
encounter later in the map like the Gunners,
Medics, and Gladiators. Enforcers, Guards,
and Parasites seemed to work pretty well.
As with most [Kona] maps, there are plenty
of baddies for you to extinguish. Probably
the thing I enjoyed most about Nightmare
Orchards was their placement. You will be
battling it out in every direction. Most
of the map has an upper level perfect for
the Strogg troops to turn you into a pile
of gibs. Thankfully, ammunition is readily
available through out the map but health
can tend to be sparse. Weapons featured
are the shotgun, machine gun, grenade launcher,
hyperblaster, and the railgun. More than
enough firepower for what lies before you.
As mentioned earlier, you will see plenty
of areas at the beginning of the level that
you will want to gain access to. Not to
worry, the map twists and wraps around itself
taking you back to areas you have already
encountered. Another call sign of [Kona]'s
work.
Overall, Nightmare Orchards is another
classic map from a great author. Though
I would have preferred to see the Quake
minions in this style of a map rather than
the Strogg but their placement and the action
that pursues more than compensates for this.
Recommended.
Rating: 8.75 |